Method of making a knit stocking



METHOD OF MAKING A KNIT STOCKING Raymond G. Furge, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Real Silky HosieryMills, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Illinois ApplicationJanuarySl, 1955, Serial No. 484,908

1 Claim. (Cl. 66-125) This invention relates to hosiery, especially circularknit womens stockings, and has for its object the economical production of a stocking possessing improved shape, sheerness, and strength.

In recent years, there has been a pronounced demand for extremely sheer stockings, and to obtain the desired sheerness of appearance stockings have been knit of relatively fine thread in relatively fine gauge. Stockings so knit lack durability, as the threads are prone to break and cause runs.

The improved stocking constituting the subject of this application possesses in large measure Vthe sheer appearance of fine-thread stockings and a materially greater strength. Further, the stocking lends itself to economical production on circular knitting machines. In knitting it, a small number of synthetic monofilaments, preferably two, are fed to the knitting mechanism of a relatively coarse-gauge circular knitting machine, desirably with the use of a single thread-finger. Although no provision need be made for intertwisting the several filaments, a certain amount of intertwisting occurs and the filaments feed as a single thread. The knitting mechanism operates in the ordinary manner producting a fabric in which the threads repeatedly cross each other in such a way that, when the stocking is worn, the individual filaments lie in side-by-side relation over the extent of much of the fabric and create an appearance of sheerness similar to that which would be possessed by fabric knit from a single filament of the same size and character. At the same time, because of the doubling of the filaments and their repeated crossing, the stocking possesses a greatly enhanced strength. The stocking is shaped by varying tension in the filaments; and the relatively coarse gauge of the knitting machine which I prefer to employ makes it possible to obtain a greater range of shaping than can be obtained with machines of finer gauge.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates an ernbodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a view illustrating a `complete stocking;

Fig. 2 is a fragmental view, somewhat idealized and on an enlarged scale, illustrating the interlocked loops or stitches from which the stocking fabric is formed;

and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, somewhat diagrammatic in character, illustratingy the method.

The stocking 5, having the customary reinforced top 6, heel 7, and toe 8, is knit on a conventional circular knitting machine in a generally conventional manner except that in the knitting of its body portion two ends 11 and 12 of synthetic monoflament yarn are fed to the knitting mechanism simultaneously. The two filaments are fed from separate, juxtaposed cops, cones or other packages, in which each thread is coiled, desirably to a single thread finger of the knitting mechanism. The knitting mechanism operates in the usual way and produces a fabric in which, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the loops are doubledthat is both of the threads 11 and 12 enter into each loop.

AUnited States Patent O extent in. a single direction, but nevertheless the filaments dok twist aboutieach other, 4first one way and then the other. Whether because of this or because of the action of the knitting mechansm, the two filaments cross each other repeatedly throughout the finished fabric. In general, the filament which lies on the outer' surface of the fabric at the closed ends of needle loops will lie on the inner surface of the fabric at the closed ends of adjacent sinker loops, with the result that in most instances the two filaments will cross each other or intertwist for a half-turn at the sides of the loops, as indicated at 15, Fig. 2. Occasionally, one of the crossings which usually appear in a loop-side will appear at the closed end of the loop; and at random intervals throughout the fabric there may be additional thread-crossings or half-twists.

Fig. 3 of the drawing illustrates the manner in which filaments intertwist. As there shown, the filaments 11 and 12 are led respectively from the packages 16 and 17 through a guide 18 to a single thread finger 19. When fed rapidly from the packages 16 and 17, the filaments 11 and 12 do not follow straight lines as they pass to the guide 18, but instead balloon out away from the axis of the two packages and come into contact with each other, intertwisting in the manner above described.

When a stocking knit as described is worn, the resultant tension in the filaments tends to cause them to lie side by side except at points where loops interlock; and as a result, the fabric is in effect only one filament in thickness, and possesses a decidedly sheer appearance. At the same time, because the fabric is knit from a plurality of filaments, it possesses a high degree of strength.

Stockings knit by my method from two ends of fifteendenier filaments possess substantially the same sheer appearance as stockings knit from a single end of fifteendenier thread or monofilament; but their bursting strength, as measured on the conventional Mullen bursting machine, substantially equals and frequently exceeds that of fabric of equivalent gauge knit from a single thirty-denier thread or monofilament. It will be understood that use of two ends of fifteen-denier monolilaments is cited merely by way of illustration and that my invention is not limited to filaments of that size or number. I may, for example, use three ends of ten-denier filament and obtain even greater sheerness and strength.

As previously indicated, I prefer to knit my stocking on a relatively coarse-gauge machine. In circular-knit fabrics, sinker wales usually possess a breadth different than that of needle Wales; and stockings knit on circular machines therefore tend to possess a longitudinally striped or waly appearance. This tendency is especially noticeable in stockings knit of fine yarn on coarse-gauge machines; and for that reason, it is customary in making sheer stockings to employ a machine of fine-gauge, such as a 40G-needle machine. In my stocking, the multiplication of the threads suppresses I claim as my invention:

The method of making a circular knit stocking, comprising simultaneously feeding to circular knitting mechanism through a single thread nger a plurality of threads from independent packages, the feeding being an overend feeding at such a rate that the threads balloon as they leave the respective packages and create helical waves in the thread and the packages being suciently close together that the waves bring the several threads into contact, permitting the several contacting threads to intertwist in alternating right-hand and left-hand twists and proceed to the thread finger as a single thread, and then knitting from the threads so fed a stocking comprising multi-thread loops.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Burson Dec. 9, Hiruer Feb. 9, West Oct. 24, Page Aug. 7, Schoenfeld Mar. 10, Clawson Aug. 5, Lawson Aug. 12, Tait Apr. 28, Schumann Aug. 23, Knohl Apr. 29, 

